Crash Into Me
by fembuck
Summary: Rebecca and Mel bond over drinks after a case ... MelRebecca, femslash


Title: Crash Into Me  
Author: Janine  
Fandom: The Inside  
Pairing: Rebecca/Mel  
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em.  
Summary: Takes place after the episode where they all meet for drinks at the end. Mel, Rebecca, nightcap, loosened inhibitions ...  
Rating: PG

"They call it …it liquid courage," Rebecca smirked, swaying unsteadily. "But I think it should be called liquid sociability," she continued patting her side pocket her eyebrows knitting together in consternation as she felt for her keys.

Mel lifted her hand in front of her mouth trying rather unsuccessfully to stifle the laughter threatening to spill forth at any moment as Rebecca turned in little circles while shoving her hands impatiently into her pants pockets. She wasn't exactly sober herself, but she was pretty sure that she had never looked that ridiculous, ever, when drunk.

"_Special_ agent," Mel muttered under her breath smirking as Rebecca held up a finger as if she had thought of something monumentally important before dropping the finger a second later and looking up at the ceiling.

"Hey," the blonde suddenly turning to face Mel. "Have you seen my keys?"

Mel stared at her for a second and then biting her lip held out the blonde's key with hand shaky from repressed laughter.

Rebecca stared at the keys for a second before carefully reaching out to grasp them.

"You did that on purpose," the blonde intoned gravely a moment later, a small pout coming to her lips.

"Yeah," Mel said doubling over with laughter. "I really did," she continued reaching out to brace herself on the wall. The daiquiris she had consumed earlier and her uncontrollable laughter were combining to make her more than a bit tipsy and she didn't want the pointing and laughter to turn and bite her in the ass.

"Maybe I don't wan'you to come in now," Rebecca said bending at the waist so that her eyes were almost level with the lock she was attempting to slide her key into.

"What happened to your liquid sociability?" Mel asked managing to keep a straight face. She was going to be good for a while. She needed to get into the apartment. More specifically she needed to get into Rebecca's washroom.

"It's … it's becoming sober stoi…stoicism," Rebecca replied finally managing to get the door unlocked.

"Sounds like," Mel replied unable to help herself; though as she found herself beginning to do the pee dance she cursed her loose lips.

"I don't like you when I'm drunk," Rebecca commented nevertheless holding the door open for Mel as she scrunched up her face as she wondered whether what she had said had made any sense.

"Well, I love you right now," Mel said quickly turning her head to the left and then the right trying to figure out where the washroom was most likely to be.

Rebecca snorted rather indelicately as she watched her co-worker knowing exactly what her problem was. "That way," she said pointing. "First door on the right."

Rebecca sat on her couch with her head leaning against the back as she stared up at the ceiling bonelessly. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so relaxed, so peaceful. Somewhere she realized that it was just the cloud of alcohol, that she wasn't really any less fucked up or more normal than she had been when she had nervously joined her co-workers for drinks the first time that evening, but she was resolutely going to ignore that part of her brain for as long as her buzz lasted. She kind of liked feeling like a regular girl … even if meant she had to be a drunk regular girl.

"Life saver," Mel breathed out flopping down onto the couch next to Rebecca. "Goddess," she continued leaning back to match Rebecca's position before lazily tilting her head to grin at her.

"I had fun tonight," Rebecca said meeting Mel's gaze. "It was fun."

"Well said," Mel replied letting out of brief laugh. "I'm glad you came. We all were," she continued seriously for a moment. "With the things we see. The work we do. Sometimes it's good to be with others. Like … for fun."

"Well said," Rebecca parroted laughing lightly before blinking thoughtfully. "It was good," she continued lifting her eyes back to the ceiling. "I've never really … hung before."

"I picked up on that," Mel responded, her tone considerate and serious despite her casual words. "You've … you've been away from the world for a long time haven't you?"

"Sometimes it seems to me like I was never really a part of it," Rebecca responded. "I … I don't remember much before it," she went on softly, still staring at the ceiling. They both knew what 'it' was. "It's almost like I was born there … and when I … emerged, I was ... had been mutated … or something. I'm here, but it still feels like I'm removed. I never understand anything that is natural to everyone else."

"Like?" Mel asked softly staring at Rebecca's profile as the blonde continued to steadfastly avoid her eyes.

"Friends, casual conversations … relationships," Rebecca responded, her head rocking side to side for a moment before she finally turned towards Mel. "Pretty much anything that involves any meaningful contact or any kind of emotional acumen," she concluded laughing darkly.

"Well," Mel said slowly. "I'll let you in on a little secret," she continued in a confidential tone. "Tons, gads, legions of people don't really get other people. We all kinda stumble through relationships, platonic and romantic, like blind men at the beach. Your confusion and …irritation is more normal than you realize."

"You don't seem to have a problem relating to other people," Rebecca pointed out. "You're all charming and talkative and…"

"Single," Mel interjected. "But thank you," she added a moment later.

"I can't imagine why," Rebecca commented softly blinking to clear her vision before focusing on Mel more intently. She felt strange, like she was approaching that middling ground between drunkenness and sobriety, where you waffled back and forth between insight and flightiness, graveness and gravitational pull. It left her feeling quite off balance, yet oddly unconcerned.

"You said I was charming," Mel responded charmed and fascinated by the slightly dreamy expression on Rachel's face.

"No," Rachel corrected, "I meant about you being single. I can't … imagine why," she continued a vague feeling of warning rising within her, as if she was saying something that was better left unsaid. As if her foot was lowering into a bear trap that she had spotted but a second to late to stop herself.

"That's the most romantic thing any has said to in so long that I don't care to think about it anymore," Mel responded lightly though the flush of pink at came to her cheeks denoted the truthfulness of her statement. She smiled shyly, uncertainly, as Rebecca continued to stare at her unwaveringly unsure what to make of the blonde's statement or expression.

"That made you uncomfortable," Rebecca said a moment later looking away as she noticed Mel's reaction to her words. "I'm sorry … I'm … not good at girl talk."

"You didn't make me uncomfortable," Mel replied quickly not wanting to discourage Rebecca from sharing her thoughts. It was rare to see Rebecca so open, and by rare she meant she had never seen Rebecca so open, and she didn't want to spoil the moment. "You just surprised me. It was … a sweet thing to say."

"Is that what surprised you?" Rebecca asked teasingly quirking an eyebrow that Mel couldn't see.

"That you can be sweet?" Mel asked grinning as she stared at Rebecca's profile. "Not at all. Some might be fooled by your dark, dangerous, calculating persona but I've long suspected that sugar plums, pink ruffles, and a love of puppies were lurking very close to the surface."

"Ruffles?" Rebecca questioned scrunching up her nose as she turned to face Mel.

"No?" Mel questioned, smiling as Rebecca shook her head. "What about the sugar plums and the puppies?"

"What _is_ a sugar plum anyway?" Rebecca asked thoughtfully.

"It's …" Mel started before she realized that she didn't really have any idea what a sugar plum was. Or that if she did know her brain was too alcohol addled to remember at the moment. "Puppies though, you like puppies right?"

Rebecca grinned widely at that and nodded. "I do. I'm a sucker for wet noses."

"That might explain some of your dating difficulties," Mel quipped, receiving a weakly thrown pillow to her face a few seconds later for her attempt at comedy. "Well," she said brushing some hair out of her face. "I thought it was funny."

Rebecca smirked and her hand lifting to idly stroke her neck as she considered Mel. She liked spending time with the redhead. "I like spending time with you."

"I like spending time with you too," Mel replied her eyes on Rebecca's hand as it moved against her skin. The movement was oddly entrancing and as Rebecca's hand moved up and one of her fingers trailed across her full bottom lip, Mel's eyes moved right along with it.

"I feel … kind of like I'm floating," Rebecca breathed out a moment later, swaying slightly as she bit down on the tip of her finger as she met Mel's eyes.

"Well, you do look kinda high," Mel quipped chewing on her bottom lip as she blinked and then lowered her eyes. Rebecca was making her blush again and she wasn't quite sure how she felt about that. Well, she knew how she felt about it, but she had to wonder at the wisdom of feeling that way about Rebecca.

Rebecca blinked. She didn't know about high, but she certainly felt light-headed. It was a nice feeling though, kind of euphoric. It felt almost like she was falling forward into some great warm unknown.

Mel breathed in deeply at the first press of Rebecca's lips against her, her own lips parting as she drew in a breath. She hadn't expected the blonde to just lean forward, practically falling into her arms, and kiss her. Though, if the small moan that she released as Rebecca's tongue entered her mouth was any indication she didn't really mind. In fact, as Rebecca's hand slid up her stomach to cup her breast, she was firmly on board with the spontaneous action. Still …

"Rebecca," Mel whispered softly, moving her hand to cover the one Rebecca had over her chest.

"I'm sorry," Rebecca responded immediately, almost before she had even fully removed her lips from the redheads. "I shouldn't have …" she continued trying to pull away from Mel, however the redhead was still holding her hand and managed to keep her on the couch even though there was now a distance between them.

"Don't," Mel said softly still holding onto Rebecca's hand, her thumb stroking lightly trying to calm the skittishness that had suddenly emerged out of the blonde. "It's not that, I … I mean I liked it. It's just …"

"You liked it?" Rebecca questioned blinking, her body relaxing slightly at the words though she still had a somewhat hesitant and uncertain look on her face.

"Yeah," Mel replied smirking before looking down at her lap, momentarily embarrassed. "It's just … I, I like you," she admitted looking back up at Rebecca.

Rebecca stared at the woman in front of her for a moment, before her eyes tracked to the side uncomfortably and she shifted.

"I don't understand," she finally said chancing a brief glance at Mel before looking away again. "I like you. You like me. Isn't that what people do when they like each other?" she continued her eyes tracking to Mel's lips when we mentioned the kiss.

"Um," Mel began her eyebrows coming together in thought as she pondered Rebecca's question. "Yeah," she finally breathed out. "It is."

"So?" Rebecca asked willing herself to meet Mel's eyes.

Mel smiled and then tugged on Rebecca's hand urging her forward as she leaned into the blonde and brought their lips together once again. The girl had a point.

The End


End file.
